Arnold Schwarzenegger Insists He's Not Turning Into A Democrat, Explains GOP Skepticism Of Global Warming

During his time as governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger championed issues -- like environmental conservation and stem cell research -- that are often associated with a Democratic agenda. The Republican took another perceived dip in the liberal pond earlier this month with his Washington Post op-ed slamming the "religious freedom" law pushed by Indiana's Gov. Mike Pence, another Republican.

So when Schwarzenegger joined HuffPost Live to dicuss his new zombie film "Maggie," which hits theaters May 8, host Ricky Camilleri asked if the bodybuilder-turned-actor-turned-politician is now becoming a "closet Democrat."

"No, not at all," Schwarzenegger answered. "The Democratic Party has done a good job in grabbing some of those issues so you think they're Democratic issues. Those are people's issues. I don't see the environment as a Democratic issue or as a Republican issue."

Schwarzenegger pointed to Theodore Roosevelt, who protected public land and created the U.S. Forest Service, and Richard Nixon, who created the Environmental Protection Agency, as notable Republicans with a strong history of conservation. The former governor added that the widespread denial of global warming among Republicans comes down to "a matter of communicating." Schwarzenegger explained:

There's a lot of Republicans who don't believe in it, in global warming. But remember, this is why I always say it's a matter of communicating. Global warming goes sometimes over people's heads. What does not go over people's heads is when you say, "We are right now killing 7 million people in the world because of pollution. Do we want to continue with that pollution or do we want to go the other way?" Then all of a sudden, Republicans and Democrats say, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I want to stop this pollution." You see, you've got to communicate differently of what it is that people really care about.

See more of Schwarzenegger's comments about the divide between Republicans and Democrats in the video above, and click here to watch the full HuffPost Live conversation about "Maggie."

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